Did you know?

Turkish Coffee, qahwah

Did you know that the first coffee shop was opened in by an Ottoman Ibrahim Pecevi in Istanbul in the year 1555. There were many storing involving the introduction of coffee in Istanbul in the late 1500’s, however, there were no records of them.  The coffeehouses spread into Mecca (city in Saudi Arabia), Damascus (city in Syria), and Cairo (city in Egypt). When these coffee shops first opened, they were used as places from political gatherings where people would criticize the government in all freedom. The people would also play checkers and chess. Sometime people would be talking in small groups and sometimes there talking in one entire group with a preacher or storyteller. Coffee shops, also known as Café, were adopted by English-speaking countries in the late 1900’s. Europeans were introduced to the coffee bean through Turkey, whom got it from the Arabs. Arabs called the coffee qahwa, which was later used in Turkey. Nowadays, coffee shops are mostly populated with men. Men gather there to drink coffee, tea, and other drinks. Men go there to relax, see some friends, hear the news, watch football (soccer) games, watch TV, and play board games. Hookah, also known as shisha, is also served as well. 

Sources:

Turkish coffee. (2013, April 30). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee

Middle Eastern Music

This is a video from the Palestinian Culture Night hosted by the organization SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) at UT Dallas. This video shows a form of Middle Eastern music using the instrument called Tablah, which is a one-headed hand drum. I apologize for the text on the video, it was trial version of a converter. Enjoy!

Woman In The Middle East

Middle Eastern women are mistaken to be oppressed in the view of the western world. In defense to the outsider’s views it does seem that way with the way that the women dress, but when you look closely and spend time with Middle Easterners you will realize and see how women are not only respected but also adored by her family. A woman is seen as a jewel in the eyes of the men in the family. In the Middle East 92% of the women there are Muslims. Islam came to the Arab world in the year 610 AD which is more than 1400 years ago. Islam was the first religion in history to give women her rights that was achieved 1300 years before the western world passed any women's rights laws. A Muslim Arab woman’s duties are not just a house wife that cooks and cleans; she is encouraged to be educated and to be in the work force if she wishes. There is no Islamic law that prohibits women from working, but she needs to make sure she has fulfilled and managed her duties as a wife/mother. Also if a woman works, she is not obliged to spend a penny on her family; that is the responsibility of her husband, everything she earns is for her. The women are financially secure from engagement to marriage and also after divorce from her husband. Islam is not only a religion, it is also a way of life that Muslims follow, and because of this I personally believe that the reason why Arab culture and Islamic teachings are mixed together in the Middle Eastern world today.

sources:

Islam's Women Jewels of Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.islamswomen.com/articles/women_in_islam.php